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hasn't watched much Penn State foot- ball, either. Through three games, Penn State's passing offense ranks among the bottom 10 in the country in passing yards per game (124.0), yards per attempt (5.2) and completion percentage (49.3) – not what Heisman voters typically look for. But maybe during his film study of the Nittany Lions – c'mon, he's the head coach; he's seen PSU play – Long spotted something in his evaluation of Christian Hackenberg that the statistics don't ac- curately reflect. Long describes the jun- ior signal-caller as "a classic drop-back, pro-style quarterback" with "a strong arm." He also saw something else. During the Lions' season-opening loss to Temple, Long saw the coaches use Hackenberg in a fashion that he thought was counter- productive to his skill set. In PSU's two wins since, Long has seen the offense slowly shiC toward a model more suit- able to Hackenberg, one that could even- tually help propel him to a Heisman-worthy game. "The first week of the season they tried to be a spread team, and they lost," Long said. "They are no longer trying to be a spread team. Now they're trying to be a pro team and they're pounding the ball and using play-action passes more than they did in the beginning of the year. So they've gone back [to being] more tradi- tional. So he's more in his type of system, rather than a spread system. He's not a spread quarterback." No matter the semantics used to de- scribe PSU's offense, Hackenberg has been a focus for the SDSU defense this week – on the practice field and in press conferences. Defensive back Malik Smith said the Aztecs are "tuned in on him" and plan to "get some pressure" on Hackenberg. In a 35-7 loss to California in week two, San Diego State hassled record-setting quarterback Jared Goff throughout the game, tallying two sacks. Goff was also forced into an interception. The Aztecs run what Penn State coach James Franklin described as "a chaos de- fense." It's a 3-3-5 scheme that can con- fuse offensive linemen, scrambling their pass protection setups. San Diego State's defensive players "don't even line up," Franklin said. "They just kind of walk around [the line of scrimmage] and they blitz from every angle possible. So we're going to have to continue calling and man- aging the game the way we are right now." In that loss to Cal, SDSU surrendered 321 passing yards and three touchdowns to Goff, despite creating pressure. Smith, a junior who had three interceptions last season, said his defense hopes to have a better, more effective game plan against Hackenberg. "He's not as good as Goff, but he's similar," Smith said. "He was on the Heisman Watch. He's not playing very good right now, but we know he can strike at any given moment. We're not underestimating him. We know he's a good quarterback. He throws the ball real well, he reads defenses, so we're not un- derestimating him at all." Smith and the Aztec defense improved against the pass last week, but only slightly, allowing South Alabama to rack up 270 yards and two TDs through the air. It wasn't enough. SDSU fell in overtime, 34-27, to a team that only recently moved up to the Football Bowl Subdivision, dropping its record to 1- 2 aCer a 7-6 finish in 2014. The season had begun with high hopes, especially with the offense returning star running back Don- nel Pumphrey, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound junior who last season finished fourth na- tionally in rushing with 1,867 yards. But aCer back-to-back losses, the mood in southern California has darkened. On Tuesday morning the Aztecs awoke to a column in The San Diego Union-Tri- bune titled "SDSU football has been middling too Long." Within the first few lines was this: "Even a victory over Penn State this weekend would be a little late to accomplish what needs to be accom- plished, coming as it would on the heels of such a pathetic start to this season." Apparently frustrated during the first few minutes of Long's press conference previewing Saturday's game vs. the Nit- tany Lions, one reporter asked the coach if he was angry. It was an open-ended question, presumably centered around the column in the morning newspaper, which claimed "Long has had long enough to show he can do more." "I'm not angry at all," Long replied. "It's just interesting what reality is and what people's opinion is." NATE BAUER RECORD 2-1 If San Diego State is as "chaotic" de- fensively as James Franklin suggests, expect another heavy dose of the ground game. This might be uglier than some expect, but wins are more important than stats. PENN STATE 24, SAN DIEGO STATE 6 PHIL GROSZ RECORD 2-1 The Aztecs' one-dimensional offense should experience big problems against a Penn State defense that is al- lowing only 87 rushing yards per game. Look for Penn State's emerging run- ning game to dominate. PENN STATE 30, SAN DIEGO STATE 10 MATT HERB RECORD 2-1 Penn State's defense appears capable of slowing down SDSU's Pumphrey-cen- tric offense. If their own offense can build on its second-quarter outburst vs. Rutgers, the Lions will continue their steady ascent. PENN STATE 24, SAN DIEGO STATE 13 TIM OWEN RECORD 2-1 Penn State has now played two consec- utive games without allowing a sack. That ends against San Diego State's confusing defense. But that two game- win streak? That extends to three as the Lions find victory in a similar fashion as they did last week. PENN STATE 28, SAN DIEGO STATE 7 RYAN SNYDER RECORD 2-1 SDSU's tough start won't get any eas- ier this week. Not only does Penn State have more talent, but the Aztecs will also have to deal with the effects of traveling from the West Coast to the East Coast on Thursday. This is one of those "collect your check and have a safe flight home" kind of games. PENN STATE 35, SAN DIEGO STATE 7 S E P T E M B E R 2 3 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 2 BWI'S FORECAST

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